Bronco Buster (Malaysia) - Dystopian (2024)

I’ve said this before, but I marvel at the range of sounds contained within an on-the-surface simplistic subgenre like grindcore. Bands are constantly developing new strains and cross-pollinations. It’s something I love about the style.

And yet. As hybridized as it gets, the old-school sound still has an undeniable caveman appeal. However many -posts and -cores may branch off from it, we’ll always need bands like Malaysia’s Bronco Buster to keep the original flame alive.

Their new LP, Dystopian, is a grind record like they used to make ‘em. 31 tracks of raw, punk-first political noisiness that’s unpretentious and staunchly untrendy. There’s refreshingly little crossover potential here; this is grindcore by grinders, for grinders.

Bronco Buster’s sound is built around trebly guitars, blasting trashcan drums and growled midrange vocals. This is grindcore from the most punk side of the spectrum. Besides the growled vocals, the band sounds beamed in from a universe where death metal never existed.

The straightforwardness of the style on display here, as refreshing as it is, does come with some limitations. There are some tempo changeups and differentiations like backup vocals and the occasional switch in vocal style. But with this many tracks in a similar style, many of them blend together into a pleasant sea of noise rather than standing out individually.

For the punk or metalhead who only listens to a few grindcore records a year, this is probably a skip. Ultimately, that’s fine, because that’s not who this record is aimed at. It's for the diehard with a mountain of LPs and 7”s of grind from around the world, and if that's you, Dystopian is a worthy addition to your collection.

Dystopian can be purchased digitally through the band's Bandcamp page.